Automatic toaster



Nov. 3, 1925. 1,560,220

A. DE MATTEIS AUTOMATIC TOASTER Filed Nov. 17. 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet l WITNESSES u ALFREDO 0f MATI'f/J yam w BY 44k ATTOR Nov. 3 1925.

DE MATTEIS.

AUTOMATIC TOASTER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 1'7. 1924 INVENTOR r hhu u n llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll I WITNESSES ALF/P5000! IVATff/J BY ALA/ ATTOR NEY;

Patented Nov. 3, 1925. I

"UNITED STATES ALFREDO on narrms, ormnw rent, N. Y;

aurouarlc roasts-.3.

. Application filed November 11, 1924. sermroi vsazae.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFREDO DE MA'rrms, -a'citiren of the United States, and a resident of the borough of Manhattan, city, county, and State of New York; have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Toasters, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to toast ng apparatus and, a more particularly, to 1mrovements in automatic toasters of the type escribed in my Patent No. 1,473,213.

In ap aratus of the above indicated type, slices 0 bread or ther similar articles of .food to be toasted,are carried .in succession by a conveyor mechanism during a defin te period of time between a pair of spaced upright heating elements from which heat 1s radiated to each side of the slice exposed Q thereto. The length of time of heating is thus automatically established and the temperatures of the elements 1%: .so adjusted or established in relation to the time of heating that the bread receives the requisite heating during its passage between-the heaters. Thus, if electric heating is used, the resistance of the wire is so selected, relative to the voltage for which the apparatus is designed, usually 110 or 220 volts, as to provide the requisite temperature in the heating wires. Or, if gas heating is used, the burner orifices are suitably designed for themessure and heating quality of the gas. If,

' however, the'voltage supplied is slightlydifferent from that for which the apparatus was designed, for example 115 or 120 volts instead of 110 volts or 230 or 240 volts instead of 220 volts, the heating ellect will be thrown out of adjustment and thebread will be over heated. In an analogous man;

nor the temperatures of the, gas flames may vary slightly from that for which the time of treatment was adjusted.

One object of my present invention is to provide an apparatus of the above indicated t pe in whic an accurate adjustment of t 1e heating efi'ect may be readily obtained.

Another object of. the invention is to provide an apparatus of the type indicated in hich th he t ng efiect m y e read y justed orregulated without altering an; electric resistance or flame or radiating temperature of the heatingelements. a

.Further objects of the invention mete provide an apparatus of the type indicated '65 nwhmh the eating effect may be adjusted 1n a uniform or umformly graded manner throughout the path of travel ofthe bread I beingntoasted, to provide an adjustment that can readil seen andestimated and in, which the ad ustment of the heating efi'ect on each side of the bread will be equal.

With these and other objects in view, wl1ich will be more fully brought out in the follow ng description of the mvention, the invention com rises the apparatus described and claimed 1n the followingspecification and claims.

The various features of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawingsin which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical, longitudinal, sectional v1ew,-ta-ken on line 1--1of Fig. 2 of-a toast- 1ng apparatus embod ing a preferred form of my mvention in w ich electric heating is employed,

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the toasting apparatus shown in Fig. 1, 1

Fig. 3iis a transverse, vertical, sectional, view of the toasting apparatus taken on line Fig. 4 is an inverted plan view of an adjusting device forming a part of my invention, and

Fig. .5 is a transverse vertical, sectional view, similar to that; of Fig. 3 ofa modified 4 form of the invention.

- In my present invention, the heating elements are so supported on each side of a central bread carrying conveyor as to be adjustable sidewise to or from the conveyor. The adjusting means is so devised that by-a single adjusti -movement the heating elements are simu taneously and equall moved towards or from the conveyor. purpose the heating, elements are preferably mountedat one end on fixed vertical pivotal axes and at their. other ends aremounted on supporting members that are movable in unison t un form p eds t a ds a d 109 or this from the center line of the conveyor mec anism, preferably; y means of a right and left threaded supporting rod. Referring more particularly the accompanying drawings, the invention is described as applied to the apparatus of Pat- 'ent No. 1,473,213, the reference numerals 1n the drawmgs following as closely as practicable those of said patent.

In this apparatus, one or more toasting elements, two of which are shown by way of example, are enclosed within a. heating compartment 10 having a bottomvwall 11 end walls 12 and 14, side walls 16 and 18 and a top plate 20, which may serve as a hot plate or table for keeping foods warm. When more than oneheating element 18 enclosed in one compartment they may be so arated by partition walls 22.

e slices of bread to betoasted are fed into hoppers 26 at one end of the heat1ng compartment, one for each toastm element, having side walls 28 s aced slightly further apartthan the widt of the shoe to be toasted and havin notches 32 to re ceive the fingers as the reed is inserted.

The bread inserted into the hoppers 26 .is received on a conveyor chain 0 supported at the end within the com artment on a sprocket wheel 34 and at t e end within the hopper 26 on a sprocket 36, the sprock-' ets 34 and 36 being'mounted on suitable shafts 38 and 40, res ectively. The conve or or carrier chain (l may be of any suitable construction adapted to carry the slices in upright position, and is preferably of the type and construction shown and described in ,the above mentioned Patent No.

1,473,213. The carrier chain 0 is supported between the wheels 34 and 36 by means of a bar or supporting plate 51, and, beneath this bar, is trained about idler rolls 52 and 53 and a drive sprocket 54 carried on a shaft 56. The shaft'56 may be driven in any suitable, uniform, manner. For this purpose it is provided with a worm-wheel 58, meshing with and driven from a worm 60 on a shaft 62 mounted in bearings in a bracket 64 which may be driven through the pulley 66 from any suitable source of power.

For guiding the slices of bread to be toasted, I have provided wires 78 and 80 extending arallel to the center line of the carrier and located above it as shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 5. These wires assist in holding thetoa'st in an upright position as .it travels through the compartment on the carand positively prevent the. slices from falling sidewise. The wires are mounted, as described in the above mentioned patant, to hold them taut and in position regardless of expansion and contraction.

Various means maybe provided for heating the sides of the slices carried through ing ears 85 and 86,

the com artment 10 in the conveyor C. In .the pre erred embodiment of the invention from the centerline of the conveyor chain C. For this purpose, the heaters 82 and 84 are supported at their ends adjacent the hopper 26, by endwisesprojecting supportre'sting on upper and lower su porting ledges 87 and 88, respectively, o a bracket 89 and secured thereon by a vertical pivot the heaters to swing sldewise on the brackets. These ends of the heaters are thus held in fixed spaced relation to each other, and to the conveyor C, while the other end is permittedt'o be swung towards and away from the center line of the conveyor.

The opposite ends of each air .of heaters 82 and 84 are supported y means of ears 91 and 92, respectively, from a common transverse supporting shaft 93 and movable to and from each other on the shaft. Each ear 91 and 92 is pivotall moimted at 95 within a bracket 96, .whic brackets are secured to the respective heating elements. The shaft 93 is rotatably mounteddn bearings 94 on the walls of the compartment 10 and is held from endwise movement by means-of a collar 97 rigidly .mounted. on the shaft and positioned between a pair of ears 98 depending, at each end of the collar, ed on and spanning the space between the partition 22 and the respective side walls 16 and 18. The shaft 93 is provided with rightand left handed threads 100 and 101 on opposite sides of the collars 97 and these threa s are threaded through suitably threaded penings in the cars 91 and 92. Accordingly, as the shaft 93 is rotated in one direction the ears 91 and 92 are moved away from each other on opposite sides of pin 90 which permits from a cross bar 99 mountthe movements of the heaters are equal and I simultaneous. To enable the shafts 93 to be rotated they ends with knurled knobs 102.

The manner of supporting the heatim elements when gas heated elements are use is similar to that described above, the supporting ears being, for example mounted on tory, radiating material, within which gas flames or jets are projected upwardly from orifices 106 at suita leintervals in the length 120. are provided at their outer a housing or mantle 105, of suitable, refracwise at the lower edge of'the mantle. Gas

.is supplied to the distributing pipes 107 from a central supplymaiu 108 through branch pipes 109 and 110 and flexible connecting tubes 111 of rubber orother suitable material. As the shafts 93 are rotated in this form of embodiment of' the invention, the housings or mantles 105 are swung sidewise in the same manner as the electric elements 82 and '84.

With the above invention, the distances of the heating elements from the conveyor, and accordingly the heating efi'ecton the passing slices of bread, maybe readily adjusted, without varying the resistance of the electric heating element or the size of the gas flame, to correct any variation fromnormal of the voltages or other characteristics of the heatin means, or to provide a desired toasting eliect. The extentof the variation in the positions of the heating elements may be readily seen and estimated and this adjustment may be readily made while the apparatus is in use and while the results of the adjustments may be readily seen and followed. I

As changes of construction .could be made within the scope of my invention, it 'is intended that all the matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having described my invention, what 1' claim and desire to secureby Letters Pat- I in compris'es, a conveyor mechanism adapted tent is:

, 1. Apparatus of the type described which comprises, a conveyor mechanism adapted to carry slices oi bread, a heat-mg element pivoted on each side of sald slices of bread carried on said conveyor and means for angularly adjusting each of said heating elements on its pivot towards or from said slices.

2. Apparatus .of the type described which con'iprises, a conveyor mechanism adapted to carry slices of bread in upright position, heating means on each side of said conveyor each of said heating means being pivoted at one end and free at the other end, and means for adjusting the angular distances of said heating means from the center line of said 3. Apparatus of the type described which comprises, a conveyor mechanism-adapted to carry slices of bread in upright position, heating means on'each side of said conveyor each of said heating means being pivoted atone end and free at the other end, and means for simultaneously and e ually adjusting the angular distances of s'a1d heaters from the center lineof said conveyor.

4; Apparatus of the type described' -w-hieh to carry slices of bread in upright position,

end ofsaid heating element supported a pair of spaced heating elements-one, on each side of said conveyor each of said heating "elements being pivoted at one end and free at the other end,a t -ansverse supporting shaft. at the free ends of said heating elements having right vand left hand threads and means for supporting one heating element on one thread and theother heating element on the other thread.

5. Apparatus of the type described which comprises, a conveyor mechanism adapted to carry slices of bread in upright position, a pair of spaced heating elements, one on each side of said conveyor, means for supporting said heating elements at one end on a vertical pivotal axis, a transverse supporting shaft at the other ends of said heaters.

having right and left hand threads, and means for supporting said heaters respectively from said right and left hand threaded portions of said shaft.

6. Apparatus of the type described which comprises, a conveyor mechanism adapted to carry slices of bread in upright position, a pair of spaced heating elements, one on each side of said conveyor, each of said heating elements being pivotedat one end and free at the other en a transverse supporting element for said heaters at their ree ends, and means for angularly adjusting said heating elements sidewise on said sup orting element to or from said conveyor mec anism. t

7. Apparatus of the type described which comprises, a conveyor mechanism adapted to carry slices of bread in upright position, a pair of spaced heating elements. one on each side of saidconveyor, means for pivot-ally supporting said heating elements at one end to swing .on a vertical axis, and a transverse supporting means at the other ends of said heating elements permitting said heating elements to be swung to sidewise adjust-v ments thereon.

' 8. Apparatus of the type described which comprises, a conveyormechanism adapted to carry slices of bread in upright position, a pair of spaced heating elements, one on each side of said conveyor, means for 'pivotally supporting said heating elements at one end heating elements towards and from the center line of-said conveyor mechanism.

9. Apparatus of the type described which comprises, a conveyor mechanism adapted to carry slices of bread in upright position, a heating element at the side of and s aced from said conveyor mechanism, a brae et at one end of said heating element, ears on said on saidbracket and a vertical securmgpin for pivotally securing said ears on said bracket.

10. Apparatus of the type described which comprises, a conveyor mechanism adapted to carry slices of bread in upright position, a pair of spaced heating elements, one at each side of said conveyor mechanism, a bracket at one end of each heating element, ears on said ends of said heating element resting on said brackets, means for securing said ears to swing on saldbrackets on a vertical axis,

a transverse supporting shaft at the other 10 ends of said heating elements, means for supporting said ends of said heaters from said shaft and means niultaneously moving said ends towards or from the center line of said conveyor as said 5 shaft is turned.

ALFREDO DE #MAfITEIS.

for uniformly and si- 

